The present invention is in the field of vehicle passenger restraints. More specifically, the restraint is of the type that surrounds and holds the passenger in place during a crash.
In high-speed vehicles, including those utilized in race cars, it is the practice to surround the driver with a form fitting restraint to limit movement of the driver relative to the race car. High-speed crashes are frequently encountered in of all forms of racing resulting in the car impacting another car or the outside retaining wall. A solution has been to produce an expanded polystyrene seat that absorbs some crash force and is destroyed in the process of the accident.
The prior seats are produced by bending a single sheet of thin plastic 15 (FIG. 1) about its mid-point 16 and then sealingly joining the opposite extending edge portions 17 and 18. The opposite end edges 19 and 20 are left open until the resultant bag 14 formed by the sheet is filled with expanded polystyrene beads that are poured through the opening 21 formed by edges 19 and 20. A curing agent along with an epoxy resin is also poured through the opening and the opposite edges 19 and 20 are then sealed together. In one embodiment, the expanded polystyrene beads have a density of approximately 2-3 lbs./ft.3 The epoxy resin and curing agent is available from Shell Chemical with the resin being bisphenol f/epichlorodydrin and the curing agent being Epi-Curi 3140. The resin bonds around each bead. The beads within the bag formed by sheet 15 are then kneaded together so that the bag assumes a flat condition. A hole is then formed in the sheet and an air valve 22 is mounted to the sheet allowing air to be withdrawn from the bag.
Bag 14 is inserted into the tub 23 (FIG. 2) of the race car and forced downwardly forming a back portion 24 and a seat portion 25. Next, the driver climbs into the tub and sits atop bag 14. The plastic beads and resin within the bag form a flexible plastic material enabling the bag to extend around the driver""s back, seat, and legs providing a tailored or form fitting back and seat support. The opposite edges 26 and 27 of bag 14 may be pulled upwardly to form side portions extending on the opposite sides of the legs and torso of the driver.
The driver remains in the tub of the car for approximately 2-3 hours allowing the beads within the bag to slowly extend around the opposite sides of the driver and eventually harden. Once the flexible plastic within the bags starts to set-up, a vacuum is created within the bag by withdrawing air through conventional means via valve 22. Eventually, the material within the bag is completely hardened allowing the excess sheet and beads located out of the tub to be trimmed from the final product. The resultant product is a hardened polystyrene, form fitting restraint that limits movement between the driver and car; however, due to the nature of polystyrene, the product will shatter during the force absorption encountered in a crash condition. The product therefore has a very limited life that expires upon a crash. The entire process must therefore be repeated requiring the driver to once again sit in the tub as the product is formed. Disclosed herein is a new vehicle passenger restraint. Partially formed in accordance with the aforementioned method, the new restraint provides many of the advantages thereof and can be utilized in multiple crashes without requiring the process of manufacture to be repeated after each crash.
One embodiment of the present invention is a method of producing a restraint for a passenger of a vehicle comprising the steps of placing an enclosure of flexible plastic within a vehicle; placing a passenger of the vehicle atop and adjacent said enclosure while in said vehicle; allowing the flexible plastic to form around the passenger forming a plastic restraint; removing the passenger from the vehicle; causing the plastic restraint to harden; removing the plastic restraint from the vehicle; scanning the plastic restraint to profile the plastic restraint; and shaping solid plastic in accordance with the profile of the plastic restraint producing a passenger restraint.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a restraint for a passenger in a vehicle comprising a seat having a seat portion, a back portion and side portions connected together forming a cavity tailored shaped to form fit around a specific passenger of a vehicle limiting motion of the passenger relative to the vehicle. The seat is formed from a plastic having resistance to fire and heat and maintains its shape when subjected to crash conditions.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method for producing a vehicle passenger restraint closely form fitted to the passenger that may be utilized after numerous crashes.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle passenger restraint for insertion into a race car that maintains its structural integrity during multiple crashes.
Related objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.